How could you ever in a million years do this job? Seriously. If you have to stay in and do something, tell them you will be Sunday School president or something lame like that where you don't have to lie so much.
I ever had. I knew I would hate it but accepted anyways because "all callings are inspired" (supposedly) so you can't say no.
THEN within a couple of months even though I was still nominally TBM, I was in the military and arranged an early transfer to an overseas duty station in large part just to get out of the calling!
IOW ... I moved 8,000 miles just to avoid the ward/stake missionary thingy!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 06:47PM by Scott.T.
Say "no". Don't feel pressured to do something you don't feel comfortable doing. And you don't need to justify yourself. Just say "no". You'll feel so much better =)
If you say what you actually know to be true about the morg, you will be outing yourself in front of TBM's. Maybe you can hone your subtlety skills and go under the radar.
I did the sabotage bit for awhile during my exit. I would send anon letter to investigators houses with info and scare them off. For me, after a few months I realized while I am completely capable of lying.. it was not the person I wanted to be. So I left.
Don't tell anyone about it. Especially TBMs who may know you are struggling!
I made that mistake...said yes because they were like well just teach about Christ...then I get called to teach in RS [because it is inspired...but I know it is not because they are trying to indoctrinate me]
1 st lesson: Eternal Marriage....Yes very inspired!
THis after I told the bishop I will only work with teens cause the are fun.
Incidentally I NEVER said this to anyone other than him. 3 weeks later YW put in a request to have me teach.
Bishop was then inspired to quash that...Now why am I the only one that sees the inspiration and they are not?
inspired....what a cliche!
They really don't listen to the GOD they profess...nope it is about their agenda!
The calling of WML is best left for the guy who is super-sold on the LDS church and doesn't mind being separated from his family during the week and isn't driven up the wall by having to work with/do "splits" with the nutty, under-educated, and immature missionaries. It's best left to the guy who is as nutty as the people he will be teaching, the guy who likes to give the missionaries noogies and then invite them over for enchilada casserole.
On the other hand, if you are doubting the church (else why are you here on RfM?), you will become a new secret weapon. You might start slipping the occasional truth into the missionary lessons which might serve to mess up the elders and their work a bit. But on the other hand, you're going to be teaching mostly nut cases anyway, people who don't or can't separate fact from fiction in their own heads.
It's going to be tough. This would also be a good time to remind your bishop that it's a volunteer organization--you don't have to do it if you don't want to.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 09:06PM by cludgie.
What exactly do they do?? I know the church I attended while investigating was small and they told me he was the ward missionary. Is the WML the same thing.
I do really cause if my bishop could discern he would know that I don't believe anything...and also stop thinking that glow I have has anything to do with MORMONISM!
When I was speaking with the missionaries they claimed to have never heard of the "Curse of Cain," people of colour being "less valiant" in the pre-existence, etc. At least give them some kind of response to use if someone asks. I had to go see the local bishop to get an answer.
I find it hard to believe that you could be aware of all the problems in the Morg that are discussed on this board, and presumably acknowledge them, and then accept a calling as a WML.
Just say no. I finally got the nerve up last summer to say no to a calling. Asked me to be the 10 year old primary teacher. I told them that I didn't believe and could not feel good about trying to teach kids about something I didn't believe in. The 1st counselor said that he respected my decision and actually thanked me for being honest upfront.
My advice, is to simply say no. Easier said than done though.
After three months of privately researching the church history and spending countless terrified sleepless nights, the Bishop alerted me that he had submitted my name to the Stake President and that I was to be called as the new High Priest Group Leader.
I said I needed to talk to him first. We met in his office and I spilled my guts about what I had discovered and until I could sort this out and revive my test monkey, I would have to decline the calling. We agreed that I should not do it and he submitted another name to the SP.
While that was the beginning of the end and the start of a lot of pressure from the church, it was a necessary step. There was just no way I could lead my Quorum when I could not say with any confidence that I knew.
My last calling was WML too. It's definitely one that will likely drive you out quicker as you make yourself sick with being a hypocrite and dealing with the missionaries pushing and guilt tripping people into baptism.
Since telling my bishop about my unbelief about 4 years ago, I have been offered/volunteered for:
- High Priests Group Leader (I turned it down) - Sunday School youth teacher (I accepted it, but only for the New Testament Year) - High Councillor (I accepted, but with so many pre-conditions, that they cancelled the call on the evening before Stake Conference, but just after I bought a white shirt ;) ) - Activities chairperson (I accepted) - Charity Reachout co-ordinator (I accepted) --Sunday School Adult teacher (it was nice that the Bishop was keen for me to teach New Testament as he knew I still had a testimony of Jesus etc., but I turned it down) - High Priests Group Secretary (I turned it down, this last Sunday)
Projecting forward, I guess they will next offer me librarian, and then failing that, hymn book monitor...
Ther Bishop is almost certainly trying to appeal to your sense of duty and trying to make you feel like he trusts you. By doing so, he hopes that you will feel the spirit and remain faithful.
I once was called as a stake missionary. I never did a real mission. The funny part of the inspiration to call me as a stake missionary was that I was working 2nd shift, from 3 pm to 11 pm. Kinda got in the way so I just said no.
I am active due to family situation. I am ward clerk. But, I never have to testify of anything. And, I almost always take the liberty of ditching PH and SS. Ward Mission leader, I'm sure I would have said NO.